Embedded sensor chips in polymer-based coatings

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and electronic circuits facilitating embedded sensor chips in polymer-based coatings are provided. In one example, a method comprises fabricating an electronic circuit, the electronic circuit comprising one or more semiconductor devices, one or more sensors, and a communication element; encapsulating the electronic circuit within an insulator, resulting in an encapsulated circuit; and dispersing the encapsulated circuit into a lacquer solution comprising a polymer carrier and a solvent.

BACKGROUND

The subject disclosure relates to semiconductor devices, and morespecifically, to application of embedded sensors within semiconductorchips.

SUMMARY

The following presents a summary to provide a basic understanding of oneor more embodiments of the invention. This summary is not intended toidentify key or critical elements, or delineate any scope of theparticular embodiments or any scope of the claims. Its sole purpose isto present concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the moredetailed description that is presented later. In one or more embodimentsdescribed herein, systems, computer-implemented methods, apparatusand/or computer program products that facilitate synchronization ofprocessing components for parallel deep learning are described.

According to an embodiment, a method can include fabricating anelectronic circuit, the electronic circuit including one or moresemiconductor devices, one or more sensors, and a communication element,encapsulating the electronic circuit within an insulator, resulting inan encapsulated circuit, and dispersing the encapsulated circuit into alacquer solution that includes a polymer carrier and a solvent.

According to another embodiment, a system can include an electroniccircuit encapsulated within an insulator, the electronic circuitincluding one or more semiconductor devices, one or more sensors and acommunication element, and a lacquer solution into which theencapsulated electronic circuit is dispersed, the lacquer solutionincluding a polymer carrier and a solvent.

According to yet another embodiment, an electronic circuit can includeone or more sensors, a communication element operatively coupled to theone or more sensors, and an insulator substantially encapsulating theelectronic circuit, where the electronic circuit is dispersed into apolymer-based solution that includes a polymer carrier and a solvent.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting a cloud computing environment according toone or more embodiments described herein.

FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting abstraction model layers according to oneor more embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting system thatfacilitates measuring and obtaining sensor data from electronic circuitssuspended in a solution according to one or more embodiments describedherein.

FIGS. 4-10 are diagrams depicting respective steps of an example,non-limiting process of fabricating a polymer-coated sensor chipaccording to one or more embodiments described herein.

FIG. 11 is a diagram depicting an example, non-limiting communicationbetween a radio frequency identification device (RFID) tag integratedinto a nail polish solution and an RFID reader according to one or moreembodiments described herein.

FIG. 12 is a diagram depicting respective stages of an example,non-limiting technique for collecting and classifying sensor dataaccording to one or more embodiments described herein.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting method thatfacilitates monitoring a condition associated with a person via sensordevices suspended within nail lacquer according to one or moreembodiments described herein.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting method thatfacilitates forming and dispersing sensor devices within a polymer-basedsolution according to one or more embodiments described herein.

FIG. 15 illustrates a block diagram of an example, non-limitingoperating environment in which one or more embodiments described hereincan be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is merely illustrative and is notintended to limit embodiments and/or application or uses of embodiments.Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed orimplied information presented in the preceding Background or Summarysections, or in the Detailed Description section.

One or more embodiments are now described with reference to thedrawings, wherein like referenced numerals are used to refer to likeelements throughout. In the following description, for purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea more thorough understanding of the one or more embodiments. It isevident, however, in various cases, that the one or more embodiments canbe practiced without these specific details.

It is to be understood that although this disclosure includes a detaileddescription on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recitedherein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 1, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 includes one or morecloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 1 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 2, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 1) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and one or moreembodiments of the invention are not so limited. As depicted, thefollowing layers and corresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 61; RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 62;servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks andnetworking components 66. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 67 and database software 68.

Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73, including virtual privatenetworks; virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtualclients 75.

In one example, management layer 80 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 82provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may include applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 84provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtualclassroom education delivery 93; data analytics processing 94;transaction processing 95; and sensor data management 96.

Disclosed herein are techniques for embedding sensor chips andcommunication elements, e.g., radio frequency identification (RFID)antennas, in a polymer-based solution such as nail lacquer or nailpolish. Additionally disclosed herein are techniques for utilizingelectronic circuits dispersed in nail lacquer in detecting environmentalconditions associated with a person or an area near a person. Forinstance, systems and methods described herein can be used for, e.g.,monitoring disease progression in patients with Parkinson's disease,detecting carbon monoxide levels in an area, etc. These and othersystems, methods, and electronic circuits are described in furtherdetail below.

An example application of sensor-integrated nail polish is detectionand/or monitoring of tremor associated with Parkinson's disease.Parkinson's disease affects a significant portion of the population ofthe United States and globally. The combined direct and indirect costsof the disease, from sources such as treatment, and lost income frominability to work, can be substantial both for an individual patient andsociety at large.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive condition, in that symptoms canworsen and new symptoms can appear over time. It is difficult toestimate how quickly or slowly Parkinson's will progress in anindividual person. Systems, method, and circuits described hereinprovide for continuous monitoring of Parkinson's patients throughembedded accelerometers on nail polish to monitor severity and/orfrequency of tremor in order to obtain a finer understanding of theprogression of the disease in the individual patient. In addition tomeasurement of Parkinson's tremor, the application of accelerometers inwearable nail polish can also be applied to any other hand movementsthat are desirably performed with a degree of precision. For instance, anail polish with embedded accelerometers as described herein can beutilized to detect shaky hands during a heart or brain surgery, suchthat a warning can be provided to a surgeon and/or associated medicalpersonnel if shaky hands are detected during an operation.

Another example application of sensor-integrated nail polish asdescribed herein is the detection of carbon monoxide (CO). CO is acolorless, odorless, harmful gas that poses a high risk of seriousinjury at high concentrations. While CO can be released during fires,accidental non-fire related CO inhalation poses a particular risk due tothe difficulty in properly detecting potentially toxic CO levels.Systems, methods, and circuits described herein can mitigate the dangerof CO inhalation harm by utilizing CO sensors adhered in a nail polishas a safe way to monitor CO levels.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a system 300 that facilitatesmeasuring and obtaining sensor data from electronic circuits suspendedin a solution according to one or more embodiments described herein isprovided. Repetitive description of like elements employed in otherembodiments described herein is omitted for sake of brevity.

The system 300 includes one or more electronic circuits 310, here threeelectronic circuits 310A-C, that are dispersed within a polymer-basedlacquer solution 320 (e.g., nail lacquer). The electronic circuits 310can have one or more sensors 312 (e.g., accelerometers, CO sensors,etc.) and a communication element 314. For simplicity of illustration,the sensor(s) 312 and communication element 314 are illustrated withrespect to only electronic circuit 310A. However, it should beappreciated that electronic circuits 310B and/or 310C could includesimilar components.

In an aspect, the sensor(s) 312 and/or communication element 314 can be,or form part of, one or more semiconductor devices that are embeddedand/or otherwise integrated into the electronic circuits 310. In someembodiments other semiconductor devices could also be implemented intothe electronic circuits 310. In still other embodiments, the sensor(s)312 and/or communication element 314 could be implemented separatelyfrom respective semiconductor devices.

In one example, the communication element can be a hardware and/orsoftware component configured to transmit data associated with thesensor(s) 312 and/or other components of the associated electroniccircuit 310 to one or more outside devices. The communication element314 can be configured to communicate according to one or more wirelesscommunication technologies, which can include but is not limited toradio frequency identification (RFID), infrared, etc. Further, thecommunication element 314 can communicate according to one or morecommunication protocols, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, one or more cellularcommunication protocols, and/or any other suitable protocol(s) eitherpresently existing or developed in the future.

While only one communication element 314 is shown in electronic circuit310A, respective electronic circuits 310 can include any number ofcommunication elements 314. Additionally, the communication element 314may itself include an antenna and/or be otherwise connected to adistinct antenna via wired and/or wireless communication. For animplementation in which the communication element 314 is separate froman associated antenna, the antenna could also be separate from theassociated electronic circuit 310.

As further shown in FIG. 3, the electronic circuits 310 of system 300can be dispersed within a polymer-based lacquer solution 320. In anaspect, the electronic circuits 310 can be encapsulated with aninsulator (not shown) to protect the electronic circuits 310 fromexposure to the lacquer solution 320 as well as to establish uniformityin the distribution of the electronic circuits 310 within the lacquersolution 320. In some cases, an insulator may be used to encapsulate anelectronic circuit 310 and one or more additional structures. Forinstance, if a communication element 314 utilizes an antenna that isseparate from the associated electronic circuit 310, the insulator canencapsulate both the electronic circuit 310 and the antenna into asingle encapsulated unit or multiple units.

In an aspect, the lacquer solution 320 is a polymer-based solution thatcan be at least partially composed of a polymer carrier and a solvent.The solvent can be and/or include an aqueous solvent and/or an organicsolvent. Specific non-limiting examples of solvents and solutioncompositions that can be used for the lacquer solution 320 are describedin further detail below.

As additionally shown by FIG. 3, sensor measurements and/or other datatransmitted by the communication elements 314 of respective electroniccircuits 310 can be received by a receiving element 330, e.g., areceiver associated with a computing device that includes one or moreprocessors (not shown). The receiving element 330 can, in turn, providereceived data to a sensor analysis component 340 that analyzes thereceived data to monitor a condition associated with an environment inwhich the electronic circuits 310 are located. An environment associatedwith electronic circuits 310 can include, but is not limited to, aperson (e.g., in the case of a nail lacquer being used as the lacquersolution 320), an environment surrounding a person and/or another objectto which the lacquer solution 320 is applied, etc.

In an aspect, the sensor analysis component 340 can receive data signalsassociated with multiple sensors 312 of multiple sensor types via thereceiving element 330. The sensor analysis component 340 subsequentlyclassify the received signals according to their respective originatingsensors 312 based on a machine learning algorithm and/or other means.Also or alternatively, the sensor analysis component 340 can employmachine learning or the like to distinguish properly received or genuinesignal data from noise and/or faulty signal data. Various techniques bywhich signal classification can be performed by the sensor analysiscomponent 340 are described in further detail below with respect to FIG.12.

In various embodiments, the sensor analysis component 340 can be orinclude hardware, software (e.g., a set of threads, a set of processes,software in execution, etc.) or a combination of hardware and softwarethat performs a computing task (e.g., a computing task associated withreceived data). For example, the sensor analysis component 340 canexecute signal verification and/or classification operations that cannotbe performed by a human (e.g., are greater than the capability of ahuman mind). For example, the amount of data processed, the speed ofprocessing of the data and/or the data types processed by the sensoranalysis component 340 over a certain period of time can be respectivelygreater, faster and different than the amount, speed and data type thatcan be processed by a single human mind over the same period of time.For example, data processed by the sensor analysis component 340 can beraw data (e.g., raw textual data, raw numerical data, etc.) and/orcompressed data (e.g., compressed textual data, compressed numericaldata, etc.) associated with one or more computing devices. Moreover, thesensor analysis component 340 can be fully operational towardsperforming one or more other functions (e.g., fully powered on, fullyexecuted, etc.) while also processing the above-referenced data.

Additionally, the receiving element 330 and the sensor analysiscomponent 340 can be implemented via a single computing device includinga processor or distributed across multiple devices. For instance, thereceiving element 330 can be associated with a first device, and thesensor analysis component 340 can be associated with the first deviceand/or a second device. Moreover, the functionality of the sensoranalysis component 340 can in some embodiments be distributed acrossmultiple devices, e.g., in a computing cluster or other distributedcomputing environment.

Turning next to FIGS. 4-10, respective stages of an example techniquefor fabricating an encapsulated electronic circuit, e.g., an electroniccircuit 310, are shown. It should be appreciated, however, that thetechnique shown in FIGS. 4-10 is merely one way of fabricating anelectronic circuit in accordance with various embodiments describedherein and that other techniques are also possible. Repetitivedescription of like elements employed in other embodiments describedherein is omitted for sake of brevity.

With reference first to FIG. 4, diagram 400 illustrates an example of astarting substrate that can be used to fabricate an encapsulatedelectronic circuit. Here, the substrate is a silicon-on-insulator (SOI)substrate having a SOI layer 410, a buried oxide layer 420 and/or otherburied insulator layer, and a silicon carrier substrate layer 430. Othersubstrates could also be used.

As shown by diagram 500 in FIG. 5, devices, electronic circuits 540, orthe like can be fabricated from the SOI layer 410 using one or moresemiconductor fabrication technologies generally known in the art. Thedevices and/or circuits 540 can include active RFID chips and/or othercommunication elements 314. Also or alternatively, the devices and/orcircuits 540 can include energy harvesting devices such as solar cellsor RF coils, batteries, wireless transmission devices such as antennasor passive/chipless RFID tags, memory, sensors 412 includingphotodetectors, resonators, chemical and/or health monitoring devices,accelerometers, active or passive semiconductor devices such astransistors or capacitors, etc.

Next, as shown by diagram 600 in FIG. 6, the devices and/or circuits 540are capped with an insulator layer 650 such as an oxide. In an aspect,pre-programming (e.g., of memory devices) can be performed before thecapping. In the event that metal wiring passing between the units isused, e.g., for device programming or testing and/or other purposes, themetal wiring can be etched away at this stage using lithography.

An isolation etch can then be performed through the insulator layer 650and the buried oxide layer 420 down to the carrier substrate layer 430,as shown by diagram 700 in FIG. 7. As further shown by diagram 700, theisolation etch results in individual encapsulated electronic circuitssituated upon the carrier substrate layer 430, each separated byrespective gaps 760.

As shown by diagram 800 in FIG. 8, the structure is then attached to ahandle/support substrate 870. In one example, the handle/supportsubstrate 870 can be composed at least in part by a spin-onwater-soluble material such as polyvinyl alcohol. In another example,the handle/support substrate 870 can include a spin-on resist that issoluble in organic solvents. In yet another example, the handle/supportsubstrate 870 can include a cleave layer (e.g., sputtered amorphouszinc-oxide, etc.), a stressor layer (e.g., sputtered nickel, etc.) and aflexible support substrate attached thereon using an adhesive, which issubsequently used to remove the flexible support substrate by cleavingthrough the cleave layer.

Next, as shown by diagram 900 in FIG. 9, the carrier substrate layer 430can be removed by, e.g., mechanical grinding, chemical wet and/or dryetching, or a combination of these and/or other techniques. In oneexample, the carrier substrate layer 430 can also be removed bycontrolled spalling through the carrier substrate layer 430 close to theburied oxide layer 420, followed by chemical etching.

As then shown by diagram 1000 in FIG. 10, the handle/support substrate870 can be dissolved or detached in a wet solution 1080 (e.g., thelacquer solution 320), thereby releasing the encapsulated electroniccircuits into the wet solution 1080. The encapsulated circuits releasedinto the wet solution 1080 can be functionalized before, during or afterbeing released into the wet solution 1080.

In an aspect, sensor chips fabricated as shown by FIGS. 4-10 can beincorporated into a lacquer solution 320, e.g., nail lacquer and/oranother polymer-based solution, by dispersion of the chips in a polymercarrier in a solution having an organic solvent.

For organic solvent dispersion, the chips can first be coated with amonolayer of alkylsilanes by immersing the chips in a dilute (e.g.,approximately 0.1-1 percent concentration) solution of alkyltrimethoxysilane and then rinsing with the organic solvent (e.g.,ethanol, water, a mixture of ethanol and water, etc.). In this process,the surface of the chip can be coated with a monolayer of long chain(e.g., 2-16 carbon atoms) alkyl group molecules, which can aid indispersing the chips in the carrier and preventing agglomeration of thechips.

Next, the coated chips can be added to a solution of a polymer such asnitrocellulose (e.g., approximately 2-10 percent by solid) in ethyl orbutyl acetate and stirred or sonicated to form substantially uniformdispersion. In some embodiments, pigments and/or plasticizers, such asdiethyl phtalate, can additionally be added to the mixture. In anaspect, the solution can be constructed such that application of theresulting solution on a surface (e.g., a human nail) results in a thinfilm (e.g., approximately 1-25 μm) of the composite carrying sensorchips.

For aqueous dispersion, the chips can initially be coated withpolyethylene oxide end-capped with trialkoxysilane to form a hydrophilicmonolayer on the chips. The coated chips can then be dispersed in anaqueous solution comprising a mixture of polyvinylpyrrolidone andpolyethylene oxide diacrylate. In an aspect, this process results in acomposite water-based lacquer that, when applied to a human nail and/oranother surface, can form a thin film of the chip-containing lacquer,which after drying and exposure to light can form a sparingly solublefilm.

With reference next to FIG. 11, diagram 1100 depicts an exampleinteraction between an RFID tag 1110 and an RFID reader 1120 accordingto one or more embodiments described herein. In an aspect, the RFID tag1110 can be implemented as a communication element 314 for anencapsulated electronic circuit 310 distributed in a nail polishsolution. While the RFID tag 1110 is enlarged in FIG. 11 for purposes ofillustration, the overall size of the electronic circuit that includesthe RFID tag 1110 can be approximately 100 nm-5 mm in someimplementations. As shown in FIG. 11, the RFID tag 1110, independentlyor via an associated RFID antenna, can transfer sensor data associatedwith the circuit to a nearby RFID reader 1120, e.g., an RFID reader 1120associated with a device that includes a sensor analysis component 340.

In an aspect, multiple sensor chips can be embedded into a singleelectronic circuit 310. Further, an electronic circuit 310 can containsensors 312 of multiple types, such as, for example, ultravioletsensors, CO sensors, PH sensors (e.g., for detecting dangerousdetergents, etc.), tremor sensors, etc. In another aspect, multipleelectronic circuits having different circuit configurations/componentsand/or different sensor types are separately fabricated andencapsulated, and then dispersed into the same lacquer solution, usingthe methods described above. In both aspects, the sensor analysiscomponent 340 can be utilized to verify and classify signalscorresponding to various types of sensors, as shown by diagram 1200 inFIG. 12.

Diagram 1200 illustrates various sensors of different types (denoted byrespective line styles) at 1210. The respective sensors providecorresponding output signals, as shown by 1220. In response to receivingthese signals, the sensor analysis component 340 can employ a neuralnetwork and/or other machine learning technique to classify the incomingsignals, as shown by 1230. The result of this classification is a set ofreceived signals classified by sensor type, as shown by 1240.

In an aspect, the sensor analysis component 340 can utilize recurrentneural networks and/or any other suitable machine learning method tomatch a received signal with its corresponding sensor type. Such methodscan analyze various features (e.g., amplitude, frequency, local orrelative peaks/valleys, etc.) of the received signals to determine thesensor types that were most likely to have generated the respectivesignals. In one example, signals detected by the receiving element 330and/or analyzed by the sensor analysis component 340, and/or theirrespective features, can be provided to and/or stored by a cloudcomputing service for further analytics. Accordingly, such detectedsignals may be sent to the workloads layer 90 of the cloud computerenvironment depicted in FIG. 2, whereby, among other things, thedetected signals can be recorded and further analyzed by the data sensormanagement 96 and/or the data analytics processing 94 workloads.

In another aspect, the sensor analysis component 340 can also usemachine learning to identify if a given received signal is reliable(e.g., if the signal contains genuine sensor data or faulty sensordata). For instance, a convolutional neural network and/or anothersuitable technique can be used to train the sensor analysis component340 for expected sensor signal features in order to improve the abilityof the sensor analysis component 340 to identify faulty sensor data. Arecurrent neural network can in some cases also or alternatively be usedfor this purpose, e.g., for repeating signal patterns.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting method1300 that facilitates monitoring a condition associated with a personvia sensor devices suspended within nail lacquer according to one ormore embodiments described herein. Repetitive description of likeelements employed in other embodiments described herein is omitted forsake of brevity.

At 1302, sensor chips with wireless capabilities, e.g., electroniccircuits 310 including sensors 312 and a communication element 314 andencapsulated by an insulator such as insulator layer 650, are formed. At1304, the sensor chips formed at 1302 are embedded in an organicpolymer-based solution, e.g., a lacquer solution 320. At 1306, thepolymer solution into which the sensor chips are embedded at 1304 isapplied as a coating to a person's nail.

At 1308, a device including a processor collects, e.g., via a receivingelement 330, sensor readings from the sensor chips embedded in thesolution. At 1310, the device (e.g., via a sensor analysis component340) classifies the collected sensor readings by sensor type. Forexample, respective measurements can be received at 1308 from aplurality of sensors 312 associated with the sensor chips via thecommunication element 314. These measurements can then be classified at1310 according to their corresponding sensor types, e.g., using amachine learning algorithm based on historical data associated with theplurality of sensor types. At 1312, the device monitors an environmentalcondition associated with the person to whose nail the solution wasapplied at 1306 based on the sensor readings classified at 1306.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flow diagram of an example, non-limiting method1400 that facilitates forming and dispersing sensor devices within apolymer-based solution according to one or more embodiments describedherein in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.Repetitive description of like elements employed in other embodimentsdescribed herein is omitted for sake of brevity.

At 1402, an electronic circuit, e.g., an electronic circuit 310, isfabricated. The electronic circuit can include one or more semiconductordevices, one or more sensors (e.g., sensors 312), and a communicationelement (e.g., communication element 314).

At 1404, the electronic circuit fabricated at 1402 is encapsulatedwithin an insulator, resulting in an encapsulated circuit. In oneexample, the electronic circuit can be encapsulated at 1404 by aninsulator layer 650 in the manner shown by diagram 600. Other techniquesfor encapsulating the electronic circuit are also possible.

At 1406, the encapsulated circuit formed at 1404 is dispersed into alacquer solution comprising a polymer carrier and a solvent. The solventof the lacquer solution can be and/or contain, e.g., an organic solventor an aqueous solution, as described above with respect to FIGS. 4-10.

For simplicity of explanation, the computer-implemented methodologiesare depicted and described as a series of acts. It is to be understoodand appreciated that the subject innovation is not limited by the actsillustrated and/or by the order of acts, for example acts can occur invarious orders and/or concurrently, and with other acts not presentedand described herein. Furthermore, not all illustrated acts can berequired to implement the computer-implemented methodologies inaccordance with the disclosed subject matter. In addition, those skilledin the art will understand and appreciate that the computer-implementedmethodologies can alternatively be represented as a series ofinterrelated states via a state diagram or events. Additionally, itshould be further appreciated that the computer-implementedmethodologies disclosed hereinafter and throughout this specificationare capable of being stored on an article of manufacture to facilitatetransporting and transferring such computer-implemented methodologies tocomputers. The term article of manufacture, as used herein, is intendedto encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readabledevice or storage media.

Moreover, because configuration of data packet(s) and/or communicationbetween processing components and/or an assignment component isestablished from a combination of electrical and mechanical componentsand circuitry, a human is unable to replicate or perform the subjectdata packet configuration and/or the subject communication betweenprocessing components and/or an assignment component. For example, ahuman is unable to generate data for transmission over a wired networkand/or a wireless network between processing components and/or anassignment component, etc. Moreover, a human is unable to packetize datathat can include a sequence of bits corresponding to informationgenerated during a spatial computing process, transmit data that caninclude a sequence of bits corresponding to information generated duringa spatial computing process, etc.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosedsubject matter, FIG. 15 as well as the following discussion are intendedto provide a general description of a suitable environment in which thevarious aspects of the disclosed subject matter can be implemented. FIG.15 illustrates a block diagram of an example, non-limiting operatingenvironment in which one or more embodiments described herein can befacilitated. Repetitive description of like elements employed in otherembodiments described herein is omitted for sake of brevity. Withreference to FIG. 15, a suitable operating environment 1500 forimplementing various aspects of this disclosure can also include acomputer 1512. The computer 1512 can also include a processing unit1514, a system memory 1516, and a system bus 1518. The system bus 1518couples system components including, but not limited to, the systemmemory 1516 to the processing unit 1514. The processing unit 1514 can beany of various available processors. Dual microprocessors and othermultiprocessor architectures also can be employed as the processing unit1514. The system bus 1518 can be any of several types of busstructure(s) including the memory bus or memory controller, a peripheralbus or external bus, and/or a local bus using any variety of availablebus architectures including, but not limited to, Industrial StandardArchitecture (ISA), Micro-Channel Architecture (MSA), Extended ISA(EISA), Intelligent Drive Electronics (IDE), VESA Local Bus (VLB),Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Card Bus, Universal Serial Bus(USB), Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), Firewire (IEEE 1394), and SmallComputer Systems Interface (SCSI). The system memory 1516 can alsoinclude volatile memory 1520 and nonvolatile memory 1522. The basicinput/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines to transferinformation between elements within the computer 1512, such as duringstart-up, is stored in nonvolatile memory 1522. By way of illustration,and not limitation, nonvolatile memory 1522 can include read only memory(ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, ornonvolatile random access memory (RAM) (e.g., ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM).Volatile memory 1520 can also include random access memory (RAM), whichacts as external cache memory. By way of illustration and notlimitation, RAM is available in many forms such as static RAM (SRAM),dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM(DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), directRambus RAM (DRRAM), direct Rambus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and Rambusdynamic RAM.

Computer 1512 can also include removable/non-removable,volatile/non-volatile computer storage media. FIG. 15 illustrates, forexample, a disk storage 1524. Disk storage 1524 can also include, but isnot limited to, devices like a magnetic disk drive, floppy disk drive,tape drive, Jaz drive, Zip drive, LS-100 drive, flash memory card, ormemory stick. The disk storage 1524 also can include storage mediaseparately or in combination with other storage media including, but notlimited to, an optical disk drive such as a compact disk ROM device(CD-ROM), CD recordable drive (CD-R Drive), CD rewritable drive (CD-RWDrive) or a digital versatile disk ROM drive (DVD-ROM). To facilitateconnection of the disk storage 1524 to the system bus 1518, a removableor non-removable interface is typically used, such as interface 1526.FIG. 15 also depicts software that acts as an intermediary between usersand the basic computer resources described in the suitable operatingenvironment 1500. Such software can also include, for example, anoperating system 1528. Operating system 1528, which can be stored ondisk storage 1524, acts to control and allocate resources of thecomputer 1512. System applications 1530 take advantage of the managementof resources by operating system 1528 through program modules 1532 andprogram data 1534, e.g., stored either in system memory 1516 or on diskstorage 1524. It is to be appreciated that this disclosure can beimplemented with various operating systems or combinations of operatingsystems. A user enters commands or information into the computer 1512through input device(s) 1536. Input devices 1536 include, but are notlimited to, a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, stylus, touchpad, keyboard, microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner,TV tuner card, digital camera, digital video camera, web camera, and thelike. These and other input devices connect to the processing unit 1514through the system bus 1518 via interface port(s) 1538. Interfaceport(s) 1538 include, for example, a serial port, a parallel port, agame port, and a universal serial bus (USB). Output device(s) 1540 usesome of the same type of ports as input device(s) 1536. Thus, forexample, a USB port can be used to provide input to computer 1512, andto output information from computer 1512 to an output device 1540.Output adapter 1542 is provided to illustrate that there are some outputdevices 1540 like monitors, speakers, and printers, among other outputdevices 1540, which require special adapters. The output adapters 1542include, by way of illustration and not limitation, video and soundcards that provide a means of connection between the output device 1540and the system bus 1518. It should be noted that other devices and/orsystems of devices provide both input and output capabilities such asremote computer(s) 1544.

Computer 1512 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer(s)1544. The remote computer(s) 1544 can be a computer, a server, a router,a network PC, a workstation, a microprocessor based appliance, a peerdevice or other common network node and the like, and typically can alsoinclude many or all of the elements described relative to computer 1512.For purposes of brevity, only a memory storage device 1546 isillustrated with remote computer(s) 1544. Remote computer(s) 1544 islogically connected to computer 1512 through a network interface 1548and then physically connected via communication connection 1550. Networkinterface 1548 encompasses wire and/or wireless communication networkssuch as local-area networks (LAN), wide-area networks (WAN), cellularnetworks, etc. LAN technologies include Fiber Distributed Data Interface(FDDI), Copper Distributed Data Interface (CDDI), Ethernet, Token Ringand the like. WAN technologies include, but are not limited to,point-to-point links, circuit switching networks like IntegratedServices Digital Networks (ISDN) and variations thereon, packetswitching networks, and Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL). Communicationconnection(s) 1550 refers to the hardware/software employed to connectthe network interface 1548 to the system bus 1518. While communicationconnection 1550 is shown for illustrative clarity inside computer 1512,it can also be external to computer 1512. The hardware/software forconnection to the network interface 1548 can also include, for exemplarypurposes only, internal and external technologies such as, modemsincluding regular telephone grade modems, cable modems and DSL modems,ISDN adapters, and Ethernet cards.

Various embodiments of the present can be a system, a method, anapparatus and/or a computer program product at any possible technicaldetail level of integration. The computer program product can include acomputer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readableprogram instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out one ormore aspects of the present invention. The computer readable storagemedium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructionsfor use by an instruction execution device. The computer readablestorage medium can be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronicstorage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, anelectromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or anysuitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of morespecific examples of the computer readable storage medium can alsoinclude the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static randomaccess memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM),a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, amechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures ina groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitablecombination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, asused herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se,such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves,electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or othertransmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-opticcable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network can comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device. Computer readable programinstructions for carrying out operations of one or more embodiments ofthe present invention can be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions can executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer can be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection can be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) can execute thecomputer readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform one or more aspects of the presentinvention.

One or more aspects of the present invention are described herein withreference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods,apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to one ormore embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each blockof the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinationsof blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can beimplemented by computer readable program instructions. These computerreadable program instructions can be provided to a processor of ageneral purpose computer, special purpose computer, or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such thatthe instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer orother programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionscan also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks. The computer readable program instructions can also be loadedonto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or otherdevice to cause a series of operational acts to be performed on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce acomputer implemented process, such that the instructions which executeon the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implementthe functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams can represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks can occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successioncan, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks cansometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

While the subject matter has been described above in the general contextof computer-executable instructions of a computer program product thatruns on a computer and/or computers, those skilled in the art willrecognize that this disclosure also can or can be implemented incombination with other program modules. Generally, program modulesinclude routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. thatperform particular tasks and/or implement particular abstract datatypes. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that theinventive computer-implemented methods can be practiced with othercomputer system configurations, including single-processor ormultiprocessor computer systems, mini-computing devices, mainframecomputers, as well as computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g., PDA,phone), microprocessor-based or programmable consumer or industrialelectronics, and the like. The illustrated aspects can also be practicedin distributed computing environments where tasks are performed byremote processing devices that are linked through a communicationsnetwork. However, some, if not all aspects of this disclosure can bepracticed on stand-alone computers. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules can be located in both local and remotememory storage devices.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “system,”“platform,” “interface,” and the like, can refer to and/or can include acomputer-related entity or an entity related to an operational machinewith one or more specific functionalities. The entities disclosed hereincan be either hardware, a combination of hardware and software,software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, butis not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor,an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or acomputer. By way of illustration, both an application running on aserver and the server can be a component. One or more components canreside within a process and/or thread of execution and a component canbe localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or morecomputers. In another example, respective components can execute fromvarious computer readable media having various data structures storedthereon. The components can communicate via local and/or remoteprocesses such as in accordance with a signal having one or more datapackets (e.g., data from one component interacting with anothercomponent in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a networksuch as the Internet with other systems via the signal). As anotherexample, a component can be an apparatus with specific functionalityprovided by mechanical parts operated by electric or electroniccircuitry, which is operated by a software or firmware applicationexecuted by a processor. In such a case, the processor can be internalor external to the apparatus and can execute at least a part of thesoftware or firmware application. As yet another example, a componentcan be an apparatus that provides specific functionality throughelectronic components without mechanical parts, wherein the electroniccomponents can include a processor or other means to execute software orfirmware that confers at least in part the functionality of theelectronic components. In an aspect, a component can emulate anelectronic component via a virtual machine, e.g., within a cloudcomputing system.

In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” ratherthan an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clearfrom context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the naturalinclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or Xemploys both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any ofthe foregoing instances. Moreover, articles “a” and “an” as used in thesubject specification and annexed drawings should generally be construedto mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from contextto be directed to a singular form. As used herein, the terms “example”and/or “exemplary” are utilized to mean serving as an example, instance,or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matterdisclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, anyaspect or design described herein as an “example” and/or “exemplary” isnot necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over otheraspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplarystructures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

As it is employed in the subject specification, the term “processor” canrefer to substantially any computing processing unit or devicecomprising, but not limited to, single-core processors;single-processors with software multithread execution capability;multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software multithreadexecution capability; multi-core processors with hardware multithreadtechnology; parallel platforms; and parallel platforms with distributedshared memory. Additionally, a processor can refer to an integratedcircuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digitalsignal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), aprogrammable logic controller (PLC), a complex programmable logic device(CPLD), a discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. Further, processors can exploit nano-scalearchitectures such as, but not limited to, molecular and quantum-dotbased transistors, switches and gates, in order to optimize space usageor enhance performance of user equipment. A processor can also beimplemented as a combination of computing processing units. In thisdisclosure, terms such as “store,” “storage,” “data store,” datastorage,” “database,” and substantially any other information storagecomponent relevant to operation and functionality of a component areutilized to refer to “memory components,” entities embodied in a“memory,” or components comprising a memory. It is to be appreciatedthat memory and/or memory components described herein can be eithervolatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile andnonvolatile memory. By way of illustration, and not limitation,nonvolatile memory can include read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM(PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM(EEPROM), flash memory, or nonvolatile random access memory (RAM) (e.g.,ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM). Volatile memory can include RAM, which canact as external cache memory, for example. By way of illustration andnot limitation, RAM is available in many forms such as synchronous RAM(SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rateSDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM),direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM), direct Rambus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), andRambus dynamic RAM (RDRAM). Additionally, the disclosed memorycomponents of systems or computer-implemented methods herein areintended to include, without being limited to including, these and anyother suitable types of memory.

What has been described above include mere examples of systems andcomputer-implemented methods. It is, of course, not possible to describeevery conceivable combination of components or computer-implementedmethods for purposes of describing this disclosure, but one of ordinaryskill in the art can recognize that many further combinations andpermutations of this disclosure are possible. Furthermore, to the extentthat the terms “includes,” “has,” “possesses,” and the like are used inthe detailed description, claims, appendices and drawings such terms areintended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as“comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in aclaim. The descriptions of the various embodiments have been presentedfor purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the embodiments disclosed. Various modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: an electronic circuitencapsulated within an insulator and dispersed within a lacquer solutionsuch that the lacquer solution substantially surrounds the electroniccircuit and the insulator, the lacquer solution comprising a polymercarrier and a solvent, and the electronic circuit comprising: one ormore semiconductor devices, one or more sensors, and a communicationelement.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the solvent comprises anorganic solvent.
 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a layer ofalkylsilanes substantially coating the electronic circuit.
 4. The systemof claim 2, wherein the organic solvent is selected from the groupconsisting of ethyl acetate and butyl acetate and the polymer carriercomprises nitrocellulose.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the solventcomprises an aqueous solution.
 6. The system of claim 5, furthercomprising a hydrophilic layer substantially coating the insulator, thehydrophilic layer comprising polyethylene oxide end-capped withtrialkoxysilane.
 7. The system of claim 5, wherein the polymer carriercomprises polyvinylpyrrolidone and the aqueous solution comprisespolyethylene oxide diacrylate.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein thecommunication element comprises a radio frequency identificationantenna.
 9. A system, comprising: an electronic circuit comprising oneor more sensors and a communication element wherein the communicationelement is communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors; and aninsulator substantially encapsulating the electronic circuit, whereinthe electronic circuit and the insulator are dispersed within apolymer-based solution, the polymer-based solution substantiallysurrounding the electric circuit and the insulator, the polymer-basedsolution comprising a polymer carrier and a solvent.
 10. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the at least one of the one or more sensors isconfigured to perform a measurement of an environment and thecommunication element is configured to transmit a result of themeasurement.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the communicationelement comprises a radio frequency identification antenna.
 12. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a monolayer of long chain alkylgroup molecules substantially coating the insulator, wherein the longchain alkyl group molecules comprise greater than or equal to two carbonatoms and less than or equal to sixteen carbon atoms.
 13. The system ofclaim 9, further comprising a monolayer of long chain alkyl groupmolecules substantially coating the insulator, wherein the long chainalkyl group molecules comprise greater than or equal to two carbon atomsand less than or equal to sixteen carbon atoms.
 14. The system of claim9, further comprising a hydrophilic layer substantially coating theinsulator, the hydrophilic layer comprising polyethylene oxideend-capped with trialkoxysilane.